Snowy Day
by Clare Hope
Summary: A job in the mountains goes wrong when the team is hit by an avalanche. Can they find Ianto? And is the Yeti real? (Pure fluff. Set season 2, between Meat and Adam. Enjoy! Cold Ianto and caring Jack.)


Five people, three men and two women, were walking, slightly disgruntled, on a steep, slippery path down a mountainside that was covered in snow. It wasn't currently snowing, but it was still below freezing. Most of them were wearing large winter coats and several layers, but one of the men had no coat but a long, grey military-esque greatcoat. Surprisingly, he didn't look very cold.

One of the women, whose name was Gwen Cooper, was laughing. She had a strong Welsh accent, and she addressed the man in the greatcoat. "No, but, seriously, Jack, I cannot believe we came all the way up into the mountains to investigate a bloody _Yeti _sighting. We're in Wales, for God's sake, not…Oh, I dunno, where're Yetis supposed to live, anyway?"

Jack rolled his eyes at her. "There was a huge rift storm near here the other day, Gwen, you knew that. We had to come up when something weird was reported."

Another man, also Welsh, who was walking with his arm linked through Jack's, replied to Gwen's other question. "Yetis are normally sighted in Nepal, or around there."

"But they're not real, are they?" the other woman, a slight, pretty Japanese with a British accent. "Yetis, that is."

The third man snorted. "No, Tosh, Yetis aren't real. Blimey."

Jack gave a mysterious smile. "I wouldn't be too sure, Owen."

"Oh, come on," Owen protested. "I mean, it's all obviously a hoax. Ianto, mate, back me up."

Ianto, the man walking with Jack, raised his eyebrows. "I've learned not to doubt Jack too much, Owen. If he says they're real…" He left it at that.

"I didn't say that."

"Well, are they?" Toshiko persisted. "I've read stories, of course, heard accounts. But they really did all seem like hoaxes to me."

"Have to have been a lot of people creating the hoaxes, now, wouldn't it?" Jack smiled. "No, sorry. You're right, Tosh, Owen. I'm just messing with you." Unbeknownst to any of the others, he winked at Ianto, who could barely stifle a laugh.

Gwen wouldn't leave the matter be. "Well, no matter, but still—I can't believe how pointless this trip was. We're all freezing, and we didn't actually find a Yeti. Not that I think they're real anyway," she hastened to point out.

"I don't really think any of us expected to find an actual Yeti," Ianto responded. "But you never know what the Rift will drop on us; it could have been an alien species mistaken for a Yeti. People will come up with all sorts of silly explanations for things they don't understand."

"Now, that," Owen said, impressed, "basically sums up everything I've ever experienced at Torchwood."

"Everything?" Tosh questioned.

"Well," he reconsidered, "no. But most of it. Certainly the police aspect."

"Oi!" Gwen defended her former career. "We're not all that stupid."

"Of course not," Jack said seriously, but if Gwen had been looking at him instead of where she was putting her feet, she would have seen his eyes twinkling and a teasing smile spreading across his face.

Suddenly, Ianto lost his footing on the icy stone path. He was walking on the outside of the path, closest to the mountainside, and it was very lucky that Jack was holding on to him, or he would have fallen. As it was, he almost pulled Jack over with him, and the captain barely managed to save them both by collapsing backwards into the heavy snow coating the mountainside.

The other three team members turned around, hearing the thud. Jack and Ianto were already standing up again, extra carefully. "Are you all right?" Tosh and Gwen asked simultaneously.

Ianto nodded, a bit too quickly. "Fine. Sorry. Slipped."

Jack brushed some snow out of Ianto's hair, concerned. Ianto was obviously a little shaken, but he didn't press. "Come on," he said gently, "we should get off this mountain before something really bad happens."

From out of nowhere, a rumbling sound, like that of thunder, boomed down from higher on the mountain. Everyone's eyes looked upwards, and suddenly, they all looked very, very scared. There was no time to react, however, as the wall of snow dislodged by the two men's fall came crashing down on top of them.

… … … … …

Jack gasped sharply, his eyes snapping wide open, sitting up, struggling to figure out where he was. For a second, all he saw was white.

"Whoa, Jack, there you are." Owen Harper, bending down next to him, patted his shoulder. "You okay?"

Shivering, Jack looked down. He was sitting in the snow, and his coat was soaked through. He winced. "What the hell happened, Owen?"

"We got caught up in an avalanche. It wasn't too big," Owen hastened to reassure him. "But you were shielding Tosh, and a rock hit your head, and you, um, died. But you knew that." It was odd how commonplace that sounded to them.

Jack nodded. "Better me than her," he muttered. He looked like he might try to stand up, but decided against it for now.

"I'm not surprised you don't remember. That was a nasty knock."

Jack shook his head. "I'm fine," he stated firmly. "Where're the others?"

Owen hesitated.

"Owen," Jack pressed, deadly calm. "Where are Ianto, Tosh, and Gwen?"

"The girls are searching for Ianto," the doctor answered reluctantly. "We haven't found him just yet."

Jack swore and sprang to his feet, barely keeping his balance. "Where are they looking now?"

Owen pointed, but just then, a shout rang out. "Owen! We found him, hurry!" It was Gwen. Jack and Owen started running towards her, their boots sinking into the newly shifted snow that had brought them halfway down the mountainside to a much less steep part. Gwen and Tosh were digging in the snow, trying to pull a still, pale Ianto out. He was totally limp.

Jack pushed the two women aside and dropped down next to him, scooping the young man out of the snow easily. "Ianto! Ianto!" he cried, cradling him.

Owen felt Ianto's wrist for a pulse. He hesitated, then looked incredibly relieved. "He's alive, Jack. We have to get off this mountain, though, or we're all going to freeze."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, but he didn't move, just stroked the side of Ianto's face gently. His head rolled slightly as he came to.

"Jack," whispered Ianto, sleepily and barely audibly.

"Hey, Ianto," Jack replied, relieved. "Hey." His thumb rubbed the tip of Ianto's nearly frozen nose.

"Your hands are really warm," Ianto murmured. His eyes hadn't opened. His eyelashes were frozen into snow-frosted crystals.

"No," Jack corrected softly. "Your face is just really cold."

"'m not cold."

Owen looked really worried. "Jack, we have to get him warm. He's not even shivering; he's hypothermic."

Jack nodded. "Alright," he said to Ianto. "I could carry you, or you could walk. Your choice." He didn't really have to ask.

"I'll walk," Ianto muttered.

"That's good," the captain told him. "I'd rather not walk down a mountain carrying you. Especially since we lost the path. Come on," he added, carefully hauling Ianto to his feet. Ianto finally opened his eyes, blinking against the brightness. He clung to Jack for support. "I've got you," Jack said, wrapping his arm firmly around Ianto's waist. Ianto's arm was around his shoulder.

Toshiko rushed in to help on Ianto's other side. Somehow, the Welshman's coat had gotten lost in the fall, leaving him in just a grey-green sweatshirt for warmth, which was now soaked with snowmelt and not warm at all. "Come on, Ianto," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Thanks, Tosh," he murmured.

The five team members started down the mountain. In a somewhat ironic turn of events, the avalanche had brought them down past the steepest part of the mountain, and it was much easier going now than it had been before. Even so, and even with Jack and Tosh supporting almost his full weight, Ianto struggled to keep walking. Very, very luckily, the SUV wasn't too far away. They had parked it at the very last stretch of the road before the road became so covered in snow that they had to go on foot.

In the roughly three-quarters of an hour it took them to walk the rest of the way, Ianto became so tired that it got increasingly difficult for him to stay awake, even walking. Halfway down, though, he began to shiver violently. His freezing sweatshirt clung to his skin and his teeth chattered so hard that he was afraid at one point he might bite his own tongue.

Jack had squeezed him even closer when he began shivering, but was actually very relieved. If Ianto was warm enough to shiver, he probably wasn't still hypothermic.

With shouts of relief and joy, Gwen spotted the black SUV in the distance and pointed gleefully. A light dusting of snow sat on top of the car. Putting on an extra burst of speed, they finally reached it.

Owen opened the back of the SUV to take out some emergency supplies. He got out enough extra clothes for all of them, something they had packed for this trip as a precaution. Now, they were so glad they had.

Even in dry clothes, Ianto couldn't stop shivering. His eyelids were drooping, and Jack, seeing this, helped him immediately into the middle seat in the back. Owen drove, Gwen sat shotgun, and Tosh and Jack slid in on either side of Ianto, who instantly leaned into Jack, putting his head on the captain's shoulder.

Ianto still shivered uncontrollably. The heat in the SUV was turned up as high as it went. Jack held him tightly, rubbing his hand up and down Ianto's arm to try and create a little warming friction.

"J-J-Jack," Ianto stumbled over the word. "C-c-can I g-go to sleep p-please?"

Jack checked with Owen first, to make sure that the combination of sleep and cold wouldn't be too dangerous. "Will that be fine, Owen?"

"Should be, yeah," Owen answered absently. He was, rightly, focusing on driving down the winding, slippery road.

Ianto's eyelids fluttered closed. His shivering wasn't as violent now. Jack pressed a kiss to the top of his head. A tiny smiled briefly crossed Ianto's lips before he was completely asleep.

Soon, Tosh yawned, tucking her feet up into her seat and leaning against Ianto. She was asleep within minutes, too, and Gwen fell asleep soon after. Jack and Owen stayed awake, though. Owen had to, because he was driving, of course, but he wasn't even all that tired. Jack might have drifted off if he ever slept normally, but right now he was content to just sit with Ianto wrapped in his arms.

… … … … ...

"Ianto…" A soft voice penetrated the heavy veil of sleep. "Wakey wakey, Ianto. Come on, we're going into the Hub, you can go back to sleep in a little bit." Reluctantly, Ianto blinked awake. Jack smiled at him. The captain was leaning into the backseat of the SUV from through the open car door. "There you are! Come on, Tosh's making sure it's even warmer inside than in here."

"Mmkay," Ianto murmured. He fumbled for the seat belt buckle and climbed unsteadily out of the SUV.

Jack took his hand, and they started walking. Ianto started shivering again at the cold Cardiff night air. They were inside the Hub soon, though, and Jack was right that it was plenty warm. Ianto sighed with relief and collapsed shortly onto the old, worn out couch. Tosh, Owen, and Gwen were gathering their stuff.

"Going home?" Jack asked them. He was looking through some cupboards for something.

"Yeah, Rhys'll be worried," Gwen said. "My phone's died, he doesn't know why I'm late."

"I'm so tired, I could sleep for days," Owen commented.

"Me as well," Tosh added.

"Take the day off tomorrow. Get some rest," Jack suggested.

"Really?" all three said at once, surprised.

Jack nodded. "The Rift monitor thinks it's going to be quiet for a few days, and I'm sure I can take care of something if it comes up. Go home. I'll see you Thursday."

"Thanks, Jack," Gwen replied gratefully.

"Yeah, thanks," Owen added, apprehensive.

Tosh nodded her thanks. Soon, all three were gone. "Am I supposed to go home, too?" Ianto queried, a teasing lilt in his tired voice.

"Nope," Jack said. He found what he was looking for; a big, soft, quilted blanket. He went over to the couch and Ianto and draped it over him. "You're staying right here. And I'm getting you a cup of tea."

Ianto laughed. "Isn't that normally my job, Jack? And why _are_ you letting them stay home tomorrow?"

"Call it a snow day," Jack joked.

Ianto smirked. "Well, it was certainly a snowy day."

"That it was." Jack brought him the tea, and Ianto sipped it gratefully. "Room for me under that quilt?" Jack asked.

"Always."

The captain sat down. The quilt was plenty large enough for both of them to be wrapped up comfortably in it. Ianto set his tea down on the arm of the couch and grasped Jack's hand under the blanket. "What is it, Jack?" Ianto said, concerned. "Something's wrong. I can tell."

"Nothing's wrong, Ianto."

"Don't lie to me."

Jack glanced sideways at him. Sometimes, Ianto's perception scared him. "You," he responded simply.

Ianto shifted how he was sitting so he was looking right at Jack's eyes. "What about me?"

"Earlier. I thought you were dead." Jack gave a slight shiver that had nothing to do with temperature, but with memory.

Ianto pressed closer to him. "Were _you_?" They both knew the implications of that question.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "I died."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm the one asking you that."

"Not right now, you aren't."

Jack paused. "Yeah. I'm okay. Sort of." He put his arms around Ianto, who responded in turn.

"Me too," Ianto murmured. "But I didn't die."

"I know."

Ianto raised his head and kissed Jack. After a couple seconds, he whispered, "I don't think you understand. I didn't die. I'm still here, Jack. I'm right here. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I know." Jack held him tightly. "Doesn't mean I wasn't scared."

The motion-sensitive lights illuminating the high-ceilinged base dimmed gradually. Warm, together, and safe, they slowly fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p><em>Thanks for reading! The avalanche was literally just a random plot bunny that let me write some Janto fluff, but I'm not complaining. I love them so much. And I've been rewatching TW, so I've gotten re-inspired. Thanks again for reading, I'd love a review if you've got time, and DFTBA! I love you all. <em>


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